day 121 - 43 km
Izegem - Bruges
Today is the day of Bruges. From our accommodation in Izegem, where the tree bike is also parked for a night, we cycle to Bruges, about a good forty kilometers. Before leaving, the big map is trimmed and the strings are tied to the tickets for the tree bikes. We leave at eleven o’clock, Daan, Marga and Yka cycle along, Richard in the car, Sanne comes directly to Bruges. It is nice cycling weather, sunny, some wind, but mostly in the back. It is a beautiful route, pleasantly rural, small roads, nice variety of houses with gardens, small businesses and small-scale agriculture. About halfway along the route we cycle into Roeselare, to the new city hall. Femke from mayor Kris Declerq’s office enthusiastically receives the tree and forest book. She tells us that Roesalere is doing well in terms of trees and sustainability. Let’s keep in touch. Fine. It’s around 3:30 when we arrive in Steenbrugge, just before Bruges. Because the tree bike makes a strange noise, it sounds like something with the universal joints again, I stop by a garage to put grease on the universal joints. It doesn’t really help is my first impression. Tomorrow I will take a closer look. We arranged to meet Koen Timmerman of the Bruges city council at the drawbridge. From there we cycle with a group of about twenty people to the town hall in the center. A beautiful entry. And here too, everyone reacts with a big smile when they see the tree bike pass by. What a beautiful town Bruges is. Cared for, old beautiful buildings, canals, another beautiful ‘gesamtkunstwerk’. We park the crunching tree bike in front of City Hall. At five o’clock the one hundred and twenty-year-old Bruges residents enter the beautiful old hall. They had signed up to receive a birthday tree. Both aldermen briefly give a story about Bruges’ ambitions and projects, including the “Waterwise” project. Then I briefly explain our project and show the trailer. I give trees to both aldermen, who indicate that they will join C4C. Top. The birthday boys are happy with the little trees and we take a special group photo on the square in front of City Hall. Namely around the circle on our seven-by-seven-meter map. While we wait for everyone to arrive, I briefly recount some of the experiences of our trip. Richard hangs the drone above it and we all wave upwards. That should make a great photo. We park the tree bike in a courtyard of the town hall and walk to the Astrid Park where, near a monumental beech tree, we get an explanation from Astrid, how coincidental, on “Waterwijs. We watch a short film about the project that makes you aware of the importance of a good water policy for the city. Afterwards, I explain Bosk and Circle4Change to the thirty interested people present. My story went well, concise and with relatable humor. I was well into it so to speak. After the presentation we walk with a small group through the center of Bruges to restaurant ‘Republiek’. Also joining us are Koen, Jos and Teja, Foppe and Danielle and Katia. A very pleasant evening. We are satisfied, what a wonderful afternoon and evening in Bruges. Very well prepared by Koen. We got some people moving again. What a fine energy.
Wed Sept 3 - day 122
Izegem - Bruges
This non-cycling day begins with a team meeting with the Supervisory Board of our Circle4Change Foundation. Iris, Erik and Jacques are proud and enthusiastic about the results achieved. We discuss ongoing things and how we can further stimulate media attention. Afterwards I drive with Daan and Marga to the town hall in Bruges, Sanne, Richrad and Yka stay at the house. At the town hall we load the remaining tree bicycles into the trailer brought here earlier by Hilbert, and drive on to garage De Krikker, which Koen had recommended to us. I take the creaky tree bike with me. It soon becomes clear. Not the universal joint but both wheel bearings are at the end of their rope. After more than four and a half thousand kilometers of bumping and a lot of side load, there is too much play. They have to be replaced, that’s obvious. I call Cargo Cycling to see if they have those bearings, because Jan from Groningen would be able to pick them up in the afternoon because he is coming to us to join us for a day of cycling. After internal consultation they decide to come and do the repair themselves tonight so we can continue tomorrow. What a great dedication and commitment. Really super. The other challenge for today is to arrange the ferry from Breskens to Vlissingen for tomorrow. As it turns out, we can’t take the tree bike via the bike ferry. And that means we have to go through the tunnel in Terneuzen on a car ambulance. But where to get one so soon today. I had already talked to Jan from Groningen and know that he comes from Zeeland and has contacts. I will call him and an hour later it is arranged. How nice. It will not be easy but we will see tomorrow. After we finish at the De Kikkert garage and give him a tree, we park the tree bike at the Police House a little further down the road. We walk downtown for a late lunch, Daan, Marga and I. We end up in the same grand-cafe Republic where we ate last night. Then on to the harbor on the south side of Bruges, to the Boat-bikes boat, the Magnifique 4, where forty American and Canadian tourists cycle from Amsterdam to Bruges in a week and sleep on the boat. It is their last evening, and we tell our story without pictures but with the small map. It must come across as a very strange story but the reactions are enthusiastic and we give a little tree to the birthday boy. We are invited to eat with the captain. What a totally different world from the one we are in now but very nice to experience. And we are happy that Boat-bikes sponsored the bikes that accompany the tree bike. I drive back to the tree bike to repair the bearings, the others drive to our accommodation in Izegem. Quarter to nine the truck arrives, three men from Cargo-Cycling, Vincent, Tijs and Jurgen, after four hours of driving, enthusiastically get out of the car to do the job for a while. Great right, called this morning and already here to replace the bearings. What company does that? It takes three and a half hours of wrenching, first we get a big shower, but we are reasonably sheltered under the edge of the overhanging police building. It goes well, meanwhile I get pizzas for the men because they haven’t eaten yet. It is a quarter past twelve when everything is in place and the tree bike runs like new again. What a quick and crazy operation, in the middle of the night, outside the Bruges police station. We are all happy that it worked, pack up all the tools again and say goodbye. They sleep in a hotel in Bruges and return to Heeten tomorrow morning. It is a good one o’clock when I enter the grounds of our accommodation in Izegem, it was quiet on the road and here too everyone is asleep. Good example follows good practice. What a day, but we succeeded again, tomorrow we cycle to the Netherlands.